Network device connecting system, data transmission device, data receiving device, and portable terminal

ABSTRACT

A system including a first device connected to a network, a second device connected to the network, and at least one portable terminal is disclosed. Device information of the first device containing connection information for establishing a connection between the first device and the second device is transmitted from the first device to the portable terminal and later transmitted from the portable terminal to the second device. Therefore, the connection between the first device and the second device is established based on the device information.

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/961,363filed Sep. 25, 2001 and claims priority to Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2000-296861 filed on Sep. 28, 2000 and Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2000-363581 filed on Nov. 29, 2000, the entire contents of each ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to network device connecting system, datatransmission device, data receiving device, and portable terminal usinga network.

2. Description of Related Art

It has become popular in recent years to interconnect devices such ascomputers, scanners, copiers, and printers via a network in order toallow them to communicate with each other. The user can, for example,transmit data stored in a hard disk of one of the computers over thenetwork to a printer located at a different place to be printed onpaper.

However, if the printer is located far from the transmission sidecomputer, there is a possibility that someone else can view the printedmatter before the user arrives at the printer, which is undesirable insome cases from the standpoint of confidentiality. Furthermore, if theuser is far from the computer where the data is stored due to reasonssuch as a business trip, the user may wish to print the data by aprinter located nearby.

In order to solve these problems, a directive type printer, whichrequests a computer to send a specific data stored in a storage unitsuch as a hard disk thereof, and prints the data received on paper, hasbeen proposed.

However, the directive type printer of the prior art requires setting ofparameters such as IP address in order to be connected with the datastorage unit of network device such as a computer where the data isstored, so that the process is complicated. When the data has to beprinted using printers, in particular, the user has to perform theabovementioned setting at each printer each time so that it deterioratethe work efficiency considerably.

Meanwhile, the portability is an important issue for portable terminals,and size and weight reductions and power saving are emphasized in thedevelopment of new products. Thus, the portable terminals often havesevere restrictions on functions other than communications. For thatreason, it has been proposed to supplement the functions of a portableterminal by using another device located nearby to realize the functionsthat the portable terminal does not have.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-284847 (A)discloses a portable wireless communication system using cellularphones, PHS (Personal Handy phone System), land mobile radiotelephones,pagers, etc. This system allows the user to receive facsimiletransmission at a portable terminal carried by the user and printreceived image data by any facsimile device where the user is located.

However, according to the above invention, the entire facsimile data hasto be received and stored into the storage unit of the portableterminal. Therefore, the transmission and reception of the data isrestricted by the capacity of the storage unit of the portable terminal.Moreover, the aforesaid invention cannot be applied to transmission andreception of data other than facsimile data so that its usage islimited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A general object of the invention is to provide a technology forrealizing the establishment of connection between various devices of anetwork with ease.

It is another general object of the invention to provide a technologyfor establishing the connection between a printer and a data storagedevice located away from the printer with ease and to print desired datastored in the data storage unit by the printer.

It is another general object of the invention to provide a technologyfor realizing a function that a portable terminal does not have usinganother device located nearby without being restricted by the functionsof the portable terminal while having a general applicability concerningdata transmission and reception.

It is still more specific object of the invention to provide a systemincluding a first device connected to a network, a second deviceconnected to the network, and at least one portable terminal. Deviceinformation of the first device containing connection information forestablishing a connection between the first device and the second deviceis transmitted from the first device to the portable terminal and latertransmitted from the portable terminal to the second device. Therefore,the connection between the first device and the second device isestablished based on the device information.

A further object of the invention is to provide a data transmissiondevice to be used in a system including the data transmission device anda data receiving device which are connected to a network, and a portableterminal. The data transmission device includes a first transmissionmeans for transmitting to said portable terminal device informationcontaining connection information for establishing a connection betweenthe data transmission device and the data receiving device, and aconnection means for establishing the connection with the data receivingdevice according to a connection request transmitted from the datareceiving device based on the device information.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a data receivingdevice to be used in a system including a data transmission device andthe data receiving device which are connected to a network, and aportable terminal. The data receiving device includes a receiving meansfor receiving from said portable terminal device information of the datatransmission device containing connection information for establishing aconnection between the data transmission device and the data receivingdevice, and a transmission means for transmitting a signal forrequesting a connection to the data transmission device based on thedevice information.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a portableterminal to be used in a system including a data transmission device anda data receiving device which are connected to a network, and theportable terminal. The portable terminal includes a receiving means forreceiving device information containing connection information forestablishing a connection between the data transmission device and thedata receiving device from the data transmission device, a storage meansfor storing the device information, and a transmission means fortransmitting the stored device information to the data receiving device.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a datatransmission device to be used in a system including the datatransmission device and a data receiving device which are connected to anetwork, and at least one portable terminal. The data transmissiondevice includes a first transmission means for transmitting to saidportable terminal a signal for obtaining device information containingconnection information for establishing a connection between the datatransmission device and the data receiving device from the datareceiving device, a receiving means for receiving the device informationfrom the portable terminal, and a second transmission means fortransmitting a signal for requesting a connection to the data receivingdevice based on the device information.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a data receivingdevice to be used in a system including a data transmission device andthe data receiving device which are connected to a network, and at leastone portable terminal. The data receiving device includes a transmissionmeans for transmitting to the portable terminal device informationcontaining connection information for establishing a connection betweenthe data transmission device and the data receiving device according toa request signal from the portable terminal, and a connection means forestablishing a connection with the data transmission device according toa signal for requesting the connection transmitted from the datatransmission device based on the device information.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a portableterminal to be used in a system including a data transmission device anda data receiving device which are connected to a network, and theportable terminal. The portable terminal includes a first transmissionmeans for transmitting to the data receiving device a signal forrequesting transmission of device information containing connectioninformation for establishing a connection between the data transmissiondevice and the data receiving device according to a request from thedata transmission device, a receiving means for receiving the deviceinformation from the data receiving device, and a second transmissionmeans for transmitting the device information received from the datareceiving device to the data transmission device.

The objects, characteristics, and advantages of this invention otherthan those set forth above will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments, which refers to theannexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall constitution of aprinting system according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitution ofa scanner according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitution ofa printer according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitution ofa portable terminal according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating another example of theconstitution of the portable terminal according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 6 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the printing system according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 7 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the scanner according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the portable terminal according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the printer according to Embodiment I-1;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the overall constitution of aprinting system according to Embodiment I-2;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitutionof a scanner according to Embodiment I-2;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitutionof a printer according to Embodiment I-2;

FIG. 14 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the printing system according to Embodiment I-2;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a portable terminal belonging to the datatransmit-receive system according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a data receiving device belonging to thedata transmit-receive system according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a data transmission device belonging tothe data transmit-receive system according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 19 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment II-1;

FIG. 20 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation of the data receiving device according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the data transmission device according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the portable terminal according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the data receiving device according to Embodiment II-1;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment II-2;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-3;

FIG. 26 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation of a data receiving device according to Embodiment II-3;

FIG. 27 shows a selection screen of a liquid crystal display of the datatransmission device according to Embodiment II-3;

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-4;

FIG. 29 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation edited by the portable terminal according to EmbodimentII-4;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-5;

FIG. 31 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation according to Embodiment II-5;

FIG. 32 shows a password input screen of a liquid crystal display of thedata transmission device according to Embodiment II-5;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data receiving device according to Embodiment II-5;

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-6;

FIG. 35 shows a password input screen of a liquid crystal display of theportable terminal according to Embodiment II-6;

FIG. 36 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-7;

FIG. 37 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-7;

FIG. 38 shows a transmission selection screen of a crystal display unitof the portable terminal according to Embodiment II-7;

FIG. 39 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of a data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment II-8;

FIG. 40 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-8;

FIG. 41 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-8;

FIG. 42 shows a transmission hold selection screen of the portableterminal according to Embodiment II-8;

FIG. 43 shows a transmission start selection screen of the portableterminal according to Embodiment II-8;

FIG. 44 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment II-9;

FIG. 45 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment II-9;

FIG. 46 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation of a data receiving device according to Embodiment II-9;

FIG. 47 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation edited by a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-9;

FIG. 48 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-9;

FIG. 49 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of the portable terminal according to Embodiment II-9;

FIG. 50 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment II-10;

FIG. 51 shows a data receiving device selection screen of a crystaldisplay unit of the data transmission device according to EmbodimentII-10;

FIG. 52 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment II-11;

FIG. 53 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of a data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment III-1;

FIG. 54 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment III-1;

FIG. 55 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment III-1;

FIG. 56 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data receiving device according to Embodiment III-1;

FIG. 57 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment III-2;

FIG. 58 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a portable terminal according to Embodiment III-2;

FIG. 59 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment IV-1;

FIG. 60 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment IV-1;

FIG. 61 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second portable terminal according to Embodiment IV-1;

FIG. 62 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment IV-1;

FIG. 63 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a first portable terminal according to Embodiment IV-1;

FIG. 64 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment IV-2;

FIG. 65 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment IV-2;

FIG. 66 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second portable terminal according to Embodiment IV-2;

FIG. 67 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation according to Embodiment IV-2;

FIG. 68 shows a data transmission device instruction screen of a crystaldisplay unit of the second portable terminal according to EmbodimentIV-2;

FIG. 69 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment IV-2;

FIG. 70 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second portable terminal according to Embodiment IV-3;

FIG. 71 shows a data transmission device selection screen of a crystaldisplay unit of the second portable terminal according to EmbodimentIV-3;

FIG. 72 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment IV-4;

FIG. 73 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a data transmission device according to Embodiment IV-4;

FIG. 74 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second portable terminal according to Embodiment IV-5;

FIG. 75 is a schematic diagram of a data transmit-receive systemaccording to Embodiment V-1;

FIG. 76 is a sequence chart of assistance in explaining thecommunication procedure of the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment V-1;

FIG. 77 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second device according to Embodiment V-1;

FIG. 78 is an example table of assistance in explaining deviceinformation according to Embodiment V-1;

FIG. 79 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a second portable terminal according to Embodiment V-1;

FIG. 80 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a first portable terminal according to Embodiment V-1; and

FIG. 81 is a flowchart of assistance in explaining the operatingprocedure of a first device according to Embodiment V-1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of this invention will be described below with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

The overall structure of a printing system concerning Embodiment I-1will be described referring to FIG. 1.

The printing system includes a scanner 10 having a function as a datastorage device, a printer 20 and a portable terminal 40. The scanner 10and the printer 20 are constituted to be able to communicate with eachother via a network 30.

The kinds and the number of devices on the network 30 are not limited tothose shown in FIG. 1. The network 30 can be, for example, a LAN (LocalArea Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network), which consists of LANsconnected together, using Ethernet®, Token Ring, FDDI (Fiber DistributedData Interface), etc.

Let us assume that a user-A carries a portable terminal 40 such as acellular phone or a PHS. The portable terminal according to EmbodimentI-1 is not limited to them, but can be a PDA (Personal DigitalAssistant), notebook type computer, electronic notepads, etc., in otherwords, any terminal that can be transported by hand.

The portable terminal 40 is capable of performing short distancecommunications with the scanner 10 and the printer 20. The shortdistance communications include short distance wireless communicationsand short distance wired communications without recourse to the network30.

For example, in case of short distance wireless communications, thecommunication distance is preferably less than 100 m, or more preferablyless than 10 m. More specifically, such standards as Bluetooth®, IEEE802.11, HomeRF® (Home Radio Frequency), and IrDA® (Infrared DataAssociation) are applicable to short distance wireless communications.

The constitutions of each device will be described below in details. Inorder to avoid duplications, the same function, which exists in variousdevices, will be described in the first device only and the descriptionfor the same will not be repeated for others.

The canner 10 has a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a storage unit 13, an operatingpanel unit 14, an image reading unit 15, a network interface 16, a localinterface 17 and a bus 18 for exchanging signals between the above partsas shown in FIG. 2.

The CPU 11 performs various control and arithmetic processes. The ROM 12stores various programs. The storage unit 13 stores various data such asimage data, and is used as a working area by temporarily storing data aswell. The storage unit 13 consists of, e.g., a memory and a hard disk.

The operating panel unit 14, for example, consists of an operating unitfor the user to conduct various operating instructions and a displayunit for various displays. The image reading unit 15 generates imagedata by reading an image of a document.

The network interface 16 is an interface for the scanner 10 tocommunicate with other network device such as printer 20 via the network30.

The local interface 17 is an interface for the portable terminal 40 tocommunicate locally, i.e., within short distances, directly with otherdevice. Specifically, the local interface 17 is preferably a wirelesscommunication type interface in conformance with such standards asBluetooth® and IrDA®.

The printer 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a storage unit 23, anoperating panel unit 24, a printing unit 25, a network interface 26, alocal interface 27 and a bus 28 as shown in FIG. 3.

The printer 20 receives various data transmitted by other network devicesuch as the scanner 10 via the network 30 and prints the data on paperby the printing unit 25.

The portable terminal 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a storage unit 43,input keys 44, a microphone 45, a display 46, a speaker 47, a localinterface 48, a wireless device 49, and a bus 50 as shown in FIG. 4.

The storage unit 43 stores various data such as device informationconcerning the scanner 10. The input keys 44 are used for making variousinputs and the microphone 45 is used for making voice input. The display46 is for various displays and the speaker 47 is for generating variousvoice outputs.

The local interface 48 corresponds with the local interfaces 17 and 27.Specifically, the local interface 48 is an interface for communicatingwith the scanner 10 and the printer 20 locally, i.e., for communicatingdirectly with other device within short distances.

The wireless device 49 is a device for exchanging signals with externaldevice via a mobile telecommunication network using electromagneticwaves of a prescribed frequency band.

If a portable terminal that does not have the wireless communicationfunction via the mobile telecommunication network, it does not need theabove wireless device. FIG. 5 shows the necessary composing elements ofa portable terminal regardless of whether it has the wirelesscommunication function or not. Thus, a portable terminal 60 has to haveat least a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a storage unit 63, a local interface 64,and a bus 65.

The operating procedure of the printing system will be describedreferring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 6.

First, at the step S101, the scanner 10 reads an image of the documentand stores the image data.

At the step S102, the portable terminal 40 transmits to the scanner 10via the network 30 a signal requesting the device information of thescanner 10 including the connection information required forestablishing connection with the scanner 10.

At the step S103, the scanner 10 transmits the device information to theportable terminal 40 and the device information is stored by theportable terminal 40.

At the step S104, after the user-A, who is carrying the portableterminal 40, moves to the vicinity of the printer 20 as shown byalternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 1, the user-A operatesthe portable terminal 40 to transmit the device information to theprinter 20, and the device information is stored in the printer 20.

At the step S105, the printer 20 transmits a connection request to thescanner 10 via the network 30 based on the connection information of thedevice information.

At the step S106, the scanner 10 transmits the connection response tothe printer 20 via the network 30. Thus, the connection between thescanner 10 and the printer 20 is established.

At the step S107, the printer 20 transmits the device information to thescanner 10 and an image data information request for specifying theimage data stored at the scanner 10. The scanner 10 authenticates theimage data information request from the printer 20.

At the step S108, the scanner 10 transmits the image data information tothe printer 20 and the image data information is stored into the printer20.

At the step S109, the printer 20 transmits to the scanner 10 the requestof an image data selected by the user-A from the image data information.

At the step S110, the scanner 10 transmits the requested image data tothe printer 20.

The printer 20 prints the requested image data on paper (S111). When theuser-A, who is carrying the portable terminal 40, later goes out of apredetermined range of the printer 20, the device information in theprinter 20 is deleted (S112).

The device information will be described below referring to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the device information of the scanner 10 whenFTP (File Transfer Protocol) is applied to the transmission of the imagedata transfer.

The device information contains information about the scanner 10 such asan IP address, a login name, a password, and a directory name.

The connection information includes at least an identification code foridentifying the scanner 10 on the network 30. The identification code isthe IP address in Embodiment I-1. The login name and the passwordcorrespond to the user-A who uses the scanner 10. The directory nameindicates the location of the data stored at the storage unit 13 of thescanner 10. FIG. 7 shows that the image data is stored at a directorycalled PRINTER in the storage unit 13 of the scanner 10.

The protocol for transmission of the data in the network 30 is notlimited to the FTP but rather protocols such as LPR (Line PrinterRemote) and IFAX (Internet FAX) can be used. When the IFAX is applied tothe data transmission, the identification code is e-mail address.

The operating procedure of the scanner 10 will be described belowreferring to FIG. 8. The flow chart of FIG. 8 is stored as a controlprogram in the ROM 12 and is executed by the CPU 11.

At the step S201, the document image is read by the image reading unit15 and the image data obtained is stored at the storage unit 13.

At the step S202, the scanner 10 waits for the receipt of deviceinformation request. The device information of the scanner 10 containsthe connection information required for establishing the connectionbetween the portable terminal 40 and the scanner 10 via the localinterface 17 and the network 30.

At the step 203, the scanner 10 transmits the device information to theportable terminal 40, when receiving the device information request(step S202: YES).

Incidentally, a number unique to the portable terminal 40 (e.g.,telephone number) and the login name are stored correlated to each otherat the storage unit 13 of the scanner 10 in advance. Furthermore, inresponse to the device information request from the portable terminal40, the device information including the number unique to the portableterminal 40 is transmitted to the scanner 10.

Therefore, the scanner 10 is capable of transmitting the deviceinformation corresponding to the login name related to the number uniqueto the portable terminal 40 to the portable terminal 40.

It is also possible to transmit the device information from the scanner10 to the portable terminal 40 by instruction using the operating panelunit 14 of the scanner 10 instead of making a device information requestto the scanner 10 from the portable terminal 40. In this case, it iseasy to add the login name to the device information using the operatingpanel unit 14 of the scanner 10.

At the step S204, the scanner 10 transmits the connection response tothe printer 20 in response to the connection request from the printer 20via the network 30 based on the connection information contained in thedevice information. Thus, the connection between the scanner 10 and theprinter 20 is established via the network 30.

At the step S205, the scanner 10 waits for the image data informationrequest from the printer 20. The image data information request isconducted by the transmission of the device information from the printer20 to the scanner 10 via the network 30. The image data information isinformation such as a list of file names of the image data stored in thescanner 10.

At the step S206, authentication is performed by collating the deviceinformation received from the printer 20 and the device informationstored in the scanner 10, when the image data information request isreceived (step S205: YES). When it succeeds to authenticate (step S206:YES), the step S207 is executed. If it fails to authenticate (step S206:No), the operation is terminated.

However, if it fails to authenticate, it is possible to transmit apredetermined warning, etc., to the printer 20 or the portable terminal40. Moreover, it may be possible to skip the authentication.

The steps S204 through S206 can be executed as an integral process bytransmitting the device information containing the connectioninformation from the printer 20 to the scanner 10 via the network 30.

At the step S207, the image data information is transmitted to theprinter 20 via the network 30.

At the step S208, the scanner 10 waits for the receipt of the request ofimage data selected by the user-A from the image data information to betransmitted by the printer 20. The image data as selected can beconsisted of a plurality of files.

At the step S209, the image data is transmitted to the printer 20 viathe network 30 when the request of the image data is received (stepS208: YES). It is also possible to obtain the specification information(printing resolution, etc.) of the printer 20 from the printer 20 viathe network 30, prepare a printing job for printing the image data basedon the specification information, and transmit the printing job to theprinter 20.

Referring to FIG. 9, the operating procedure of the portable terminal 40will be described. The flowchart of FIG. 9 is stored in the ROM 42 as acontrol program, and is executed by the CPU 41.

First, at the step S301, based on the user-A's operation on the inputkeys 44, the portable terminal 40 transmits the device informationrequest of the scanner 10 to the scanner 10 via the local interface 48.

At the step S302, the portable terminal 40 waits for the reception ofthe device information form the scanner 10 via the local interface 48.

At the step S303, the received device information is stored into thestorage unit 43.

At the step S304, after the user-A, who is carrying the portableterminal 40, moves to the vicinity of the printer 20 as shown byalternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 1, the portableterminal 40 waits for the user-A to enter an instruction by operatingthe input keys 44 for transmitting the device information to the printer20.

At the step S305, when it is instructed to transmit the deviceinformation (step S304: YES), the portable terminal 40 transmits thedevice information to the printer 20 via the local interface 48.

The transmission of the device information to the printer 20 is notlimited to the constitution where it is performed by the user-Aoperating the input keys 44 of the portable terminal 40.

For example, it is possible to constitute the system in such a way thatthe device information is automatically transmitted to the printer 20when the portable terminal 40 enters into the range communicable withthe printer 20. The method of judging whether the portable terminal 40is within the range communicable with the printer 20 will be describedlater.

The operating procedure of the printer 20 will be described referring toFIG. 10. The flowchart of FIG. 10 is stored, for example, as a controlprogram in the ROM 22, and is executed by the CPU 21.

First, at the step S401, the printer 20 waits for the reception of thedevice information from the portable terminal 40 via local interface 27.

At the step S402, when the device information is received (step S401:YES), the received device information is stored in the storage unit 23.

At the step S403, the printer 20 receives the connection response fromthe scanner 10 in response to the connection request from the printer 20via the network 30 based on the connection information contained in thedevice information. As a result, the connection between the scanner 10and the printer 20 via the network 30 is established.

At the step S404, the image data information request is transmitted tothe scanner 10 via the network 30. The image data information isinformation such as a name list of image data files as mentioned before.The image data information is information at the directory named PRINTERas shown in FIG. 7 in case of Embodiment I-1.

The steps S403 and S404 can be executed as an integral process bytransmitting the device information containing the connectioninformation from the printer 20 to the scanner 10 via the network 30.

At the step S405, the printer 20 waits for the reception of the imagedata information from the scanner 10 via the network 30.

At the step 406, when the image data information is received (step S405:YES), the received image data information is stored into the storageunit 23.

At the step S407, the request for image data selected from the imagedata information by the user-A operating the operating panel unit 24 istransmitted to the scanner 10 via the network 30.

At the step S408, the printer 20 waits for the reception of the selectedimage data from the scanner 10 via network 30.

At the step S409, the printing unit 25 prints the image data on paperwhen the image data is received (step S408: YES).

At the step S410, after the printing, the printer 20 waits for theportable terminal 40 to go out of the range communicable with theprinter 20.

The judgment on whether the portable terminal 40 is within the rangecommunicable with the printer 20 is based on the connection checkwherein the printer 20 tries connection with the portable terminal 40 ata constant time interval and severs the connection as soon as itestablishes the connection.

In other words, when the printer 20 is no longer capable of connectingwith the portable terminal 40 using the local interface 27, the portableterminal 40 is judged to be out of the range communicable with theprinter 20.

It is also possible to make the judgment of whether the portableterminal 40 is within the range communicable with the printer 20 basedon the connection check by the portable terminal 40 rather than theprinter 20.

At the step S411, when the portable terminal 40 is out of the rangecommunicable with the printer 20 (step S410: YES), the printer 20deletes the device information of the scanner 10 stored in the storageunit 23.

According to Embodiment I-1, the connection between the scanner 10 andthe printer 20 can be realized via the network 30 using the portableterminal 40 that stores the device information.

Therefore, it is possible to make the printer 20 print any desired imagedata stored in the scanner 10 by establishing the connection between theprinter 20 located close to the user and the scanner 10 located at adistant place. It is less likely for the printed result being exposed toa third party, so that it is more desirable from the securitystandpoint.

Furthermore, if the user is far from the scanner 10 due to reasons suchas a business trip, it is convenient to be able to print the data on thespot by a printer located close to the user. Moreover, the data volumeof the device information is less than the image data that is beingtransmitted over the network 30 so that the burden on the portableterminal 40 is substantially limited.

In addition, since the device information of the scanner 10 stored inthe printer 20 is deleted when the portable 40 moves away from theprinter 20 a prescribed distance, it is possible to prevent the deviceinformation from being abused so that it is more desirable from thesecurity standpoint.

On the other hand, if the portable terminal 40 stays within a certaindistance from the printer 20, the device information is not deleted sothat a desired number of copies of image data can be printed. Moreover,it is convenient as the deletion of the device information isautomatically done.

The printing system according to Embodiment I-2 will be describedreferring to FIG. 11.

Embodiment I-2 is different from Embodiment I-1 using the portableterminal 40 on the point that a memory card 70 is used to establish theconnection between a scanner 10 a and a printer 20 a via the network 30.However, the two are generally identical on all other points, so thatthe description will focus on the differences and the descriptions oncommonalities will be omitted.

This printing system includes the scanner 10 a that has a capability asa data storage device, the printer 20 a, and the memory card 70. Thescanner 10 a and the printer 20 a are constituted to be communicablewith each other via the network 30.

The user-A carries the memory card 70, which is a storage medium using aflash memory. However, other portable memory media, e.g., a magneticmemory medium such as a flexible disk or ZIP®, or an opto-magneticmemory medium such as MO (magneto-optical disc) can be used instead ofthe memory card 70.

Various data in the memory card 70 can be read or various data can bewritten on the memory card 70 as the memory card 70 is attached to thescanner 10 a or the printer 20 a.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the constitutionof the scanner 10 a and FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating anexample of the constitution of the printer 20 a.

The scanner 10 a is different from the scanner 10 of Embodiment I-1 inthat it has a slot 17 a for the memory card 70 instead of the localinterface 17. The slot 17 a is constituted to accept the insertion ofthe memory card 70 for writing the device information of the scanner 10a on the memory card 70.

The printer 20 a is different from the printer 20 of Embodiment I-1 inthat it has a slot 27 a for the memory card 70 instead of the localinterface 27. The slot 27 a is constituted to accept the insertion ofthe memory card 70 for reading the device information of the scanner 10a from the memory card 70. The device information is stored into thestorage unit 23 of the printer 20 a.

The operating procedure of the printing system is described referring tothe sequence chart shown in FIG. 14.

At the step S501, the scanner 10 a reads an image of the document, andstores the image data.

At the step S502, the scanner 10 a writes on the memory card 70 insertedinto the slot 17 a the device information of the scanner 10 a containingthe connection information required for establishing a connection withthe scanner 10 a via the network 30 based on the instruction provided bythe user-A using the operating panel unit 14.

At the step S503, after the user-A, who is carrying the memory card 70,moves to the vicinity of the printer 20 a as shown by alternate long andtwo short dashes line in FIG. 11, the printer 20 a reads the deviceinformation from the memory card 70 inserted into the slot 27 a based onthe instruction provided by the user-A using the operating panel unit24. The device information is stored into the printer 20 a.

Since the steps S504 through S510 are identical to the steps S105through S111 of Embodiment I-1 shown in FIG. 6, their descriptions willnot be repeated here.

In Embodiment I-2, after printing the selected image data, the printer20 a deletes the stored device information (S511).

Embodiment I-2 describes that the device information stored in theprinter 20 a is deleted at the end of one job of printing an image data.However, the device information may be deleted at the end of a pluralityof printing jobs. In such a case, it is preferable that the printer 20 ashould ask the user whether the next print job exists by means of theoperating panel unit 24.

Thus, in Embodiment I-2, it is possible to realize the connectionbetween the scanner 10 a and the printer 20 a via the network 30 bymeans of the memory card 70 that stores the device information. Thismeans that Embodiment I-2 can provide an approximately equal effect asEmbodiment I-1.

Embodiment II-1 will be described below.

The data transmit-receive system according to Embodiment II-1 is, asshown in FIG. 15, includes a portable terminal 110, a data receivingdevice (first device) 130, and a data transmission device (seconddevice) 150.

The portable terminal 110 is communicable with the data receiving device130 by means of wireless connection with external devices for shortdistance communications, and also with the data transmission device 150via the mobile telecommunication network 170. Specifically, the portableterminal 110 has a means of communicating through the mobiletelecommunication network 170 as well as a local communication means forcommunicating in short distances.

In more detail, the mobile telecommunication network 170 includes a basestation 171 that communicates wirelessly with the portable terminal 110,a base station 173 that communicates wirelessly with the datatransmission device 150, and a mobile switching center 172 that connectsthe base station 171 and the base station 173. When both the portableterminal 110 and the data transmission device 150 are located within thesame cell, they share the common base station.

The data receiving device 130 includes a communication means ofcommunicating through the computer network 190 and a local communicationmeans for short distance communications. The data transmission device150 has a communication means of communicating with the portableterminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network 170 and a means ofcommunicating with the data receiving device 130 via the computernetwork 190.

Therefore, the data receiving device 130 and the data transmissiondevice 150 are communicable via the computer network 190. The computernetwork 190 is, e.g., LAN, WAN, or the Internet.

The constitutions of the portable terminal 110, the data receivingdevice 130, and the data transmission device 150 referring to FIG. 16through FIG. 18.

The portable terminal 110 is, as shown in FIG. 16, includes a controlunit (CPU) 111, a read only storage unit (ROM) 112, a random accessstorage unit (RAM) 113, a data processing unit 114, an operating unit115, a voice input/output unit 116, an interface 117 for the mobiletelecommunication network 170, an interface 118 for the wirelessconnection with external devices, and a battery 119, all of which areinterconnected via the bus 120.

The operating unit 115 includes keyboard for entering data and a liquiddisplay for displaying data. The voice input/output unit 116 includes amicrophone for inputting voices and a speaker for reproducing voices.

The wireless LAN standard (IEEE 802.11) using 2.4 GHz bandelectromagnetic waves or infrared rays with wavelengths of 850 nm to 950nm, the Bluetooth® standard using 2.4 GHz band electromagnetic waves, orthe IrDA® standard for infrared ray data communications are applicableto the wireless connection between devices. If PHS is used as a portableterminal 110, the transceiver function of PHS is applicable to thewireless connection between devices.

The data receiving device 130 is a digital color copying machine and, asshown in FIG. 17, includes a control unit (CPU) 131, a read only storageunit (ROM) 132, a random access storage unit (RAM) 133, a dataprocessing unit 134, an operating unit 135, an image reading unit 136, aprinting unit 137, an interface 138 for the computer network 190, and aninterface 139 for the wireless communications between devices, all ofwhich are interconnected by the bus 140. The interface 138 consists of anetwork interface card (NIC). The interface 139 corresponds to theinterface 118 of the portable terminal 110.

The printing unit 137 can handle two kinds of page description languagesA and B including the emulation mode, has the printing resolution of 600dpi (dots per inch), has the color and monochromatic printing modes, andaccommodates the A4, A3, letter and legal paper sizes. The operatingunit 135 includes a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) integrated with a touchscreen panel for entering data.

The data transmission device 150 is a digital color copying machine and,as shown in FIG. 18, includes a control unit (CPU) 151, a read onlystorage unit (ROM) 152, a random access storage unit (RAM) 153, a dataprocessing unit 154, an operating unit 155, an image reading unit 156, aprinting unit 157, an interface 158 for the computer network 190, and aninterface 159 for the mobile telecommunication network 170, all of whichare interconnected by the bus 160. The interface 158 consists of, forexample, a NIC.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed referring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 19.

First, the data transmission device 150 transmits the connection requestto the portable terminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network170. As it receives a connection request, the portable terminal 110transmits a connection response to the data transmission device 150 viathe mobile telecommunication network 170.

Thus, the connection between the data transmission device 150 and theportable terminal 110 is established. The data transmission device 150transmits a device information transmission request to the portableterminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network 170.

As it receives the device information transmission request, the portableterminal 110 transmits a connection request to the data receiving device130 located nearby by means of the wireless connection between devices.

As it receives the connection request, the data receiving device 130transmits a connection response to the portable terminal 110 by means ofthe wireless connection between devices.

Thus, the connection between the portable terminal 110 and the datareceiving device 130 is established. Then, the portable terminal 110transmits the device information transmission request to the datareceiving device 130.

Next, the data receiving device 130 transmits the device information tothe portable terminal 110, and then severs the connection with theportable terminal 110. On the other hand, the portable terminal 110transmits the received device information to the data transmissiondevice 150 via the mobile telecommunication network 170, and severs theconnection with the data transmission device 150.

The data transmission device 150 transmits the connection request to thedata receiving device 130 via the computer network 190 based on thedevice information. As it receives the connection request, the datareceiving device 130 transmits the connection response to the datatransmission device 150 via the computer network 190.

Thus, the connection between the data transmission device 150 and thedata receiving device 130 is established. The data transmission device150 transmits the data to the data receiving device 130, and then seversthe connection with the data receiving device 130.

The device information will be described below referring to FIG. 20.

The device information includes the connection information for thecomputer network 190 required for transmitting the data from the datatransmission device 150 to the data receiving device 130 and thespecification information of the output means of the data receivingdevice 130.

The connection information includes the communication protocol for thecomputer network 190 and the identification code of the data receivingdevice 130, and they are the LPR protocol and the IP address in case ofEmbodiment II-1.

As the output means of the data receiving device 130 is the printingunit 137 in case of Embodiment II-1, the specification informationincludes the printing resolution, the printing mode, the controlcommand, and the paper size. The control commands, for example, are thepage description languages A and B that are usable in the data receivingdevice 130 and include the emulation mode.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device 150 will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 21. The flow chart shown in FIG.21 is, for example, stored as the control program in the ROM 152 and isexecuted by the CPU 151.

First, a judgment is made as to whether a transmission instruction isinputted by the user, who is using the operating unit 155 (step S1010).If it is judged that the transmission instruction is inputted, aconnection with the portable terminal 110 via the mobiletelecommunication network 170 is established (step S1011), and a deviceinformation transmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal110 (step S1012).

On the other hand, if it is judged that no transmission request exists,a judgment at the step S1010 will be repeated until a transmissioninstruction is inputted.

Then, a judgment is made whether the device information is received fromthe portable terminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network 170(step S1013). If it is judged that the device information is received,the connection with the portable terminal 110 is severed (step S1014).

On the other hand, if it is judged that the device information has notbeen received, a judgment at the step S1013 will be repeated until thedevice information is received. The device information is to be storedin the RAM 153.

Next, the specification information contained in the device informationread from the RAM 153 is used at the data processing unit 154 forpreparing the data for transmission (step S1015). The data fortransmission can be document image data obtained by the image readingunit 156 and be stored temporarily in the RAM 153.

After that, a connection with the data receiving device 130 via thecomputer network 190 is established (step S1016) based on the connectioninformation contained in the device information, i.e., the LPR protocoland the IP address. The prepared data is transmitted to the datareceiving device 130 (step S1017). When the transmission of the prepareddata is completed, the connection with the data receiving device 130will be severed (step S1018).

The operating procedure of the portable terminal 110 will be describedin detail referring to FIG. 22. The flowchart shown in FIG. 22 is, forexample, stored in the ROM 112 as the control program and is executed bythe CPU 111.

First, a connection with the data transmission device 150 is establishedvia the mobile telecommunication network 170 (step S1020).

Then, a judgment is made as to whether a device information transmissionrequest is received (step S1021). If it is judged that the transmissionrequest has not been received, a judgment at the step S1021 will berepeated until a transmission request is received.

If it is judged that the transmission request is received, a connectionwith the data receiving device 130 located nearby is established (stepS1022), and the transmission request is transmitted to the datareceiving device 130 (step S1023).

Next, a judgment is made whether the device information is received fromthe data receiving device 130 by means of the wireless connectionbetween devices (step S1024). If it is judged that the deviceinformation has not been received, a judgment at the step S1024 will berepeated until the device information is received.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the device information isreceived, the connection with the data receiving device 130 will besevered (step S1025).

The device information is transmitted to the data transmission device150 via the mobile telecommunication network 170 (step S1026), and theconnection with the data transmission device 150 will be severed (stepS1027).

The operating procedure of the data receiving device 130 will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 23. The flowchart shown in FIG. 23is, for example, stored in the ROM 132 as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU 131.

First, the connection with the portable terminal 110 located nearby isestablished by means of the wireless connection between devices (stepS1030).

Then, a judgment is made as to whether a device information transmissionrequest is received (step S1031). If it is judged that the transmissionrequest has not been received, a judgment at the step S1031 will berepeated until a transmission request is received.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the transmission request isreceived, the transmission request is transmitted to the portableterminal 110 by means of the wireless connection between devices (stepS1032), and the connection with the portable terminal 110 is thensevered (step S1033).

After that, a connection with the data transmission device 150 isestablished via the computer network 190 (step S1034) and data isreceived from the data transmission device 150 (step S1035).

Next, a judgment is made whether the data transmission is completed(step S1036). If it is judged that the data transmission has not beencompleted, the processes at the step S1035 and the step S1036 will berepeated.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the data transmission has beencompleted, the connection with the data transmission device 150 will besevered (step S1037). The received data is stored into the RAM 133.

Then, output data is prepared at the data processing unit 134 using thereceived data, which is read from the RAM 133 (step S1038). Next, theprinting is executed at the printing unit 137 based on the output data(steps S1039).

Thus, the data volume of the device information is small compared to thetransmitted data in case of Embodiment II-1, so that it causes littleburden on the portable terminal 110 for the transmission/reception ofthe device information.

On the other hand, data transmission from the data transmission device150 to the data receiving device 130 is executed via the computernetwork 190, so that it is not restricted in any way by the function ofthe portable terminal 110.

While the abovementioned system provides a general applicability to datatransmission and reception, it is not affected by any functionalrestrictions of the portable terminal and but rather realizes functionsthat the portable terminal cannot offer using other devices locatednearby.

Moreover, although the data transmission through the computer network190 in Embodiment II-1 is a connection-mode transmission, it is possibleto make it a connectionless-mode transmission by means of using, forexample, the IP (Internet Protocol) as the protocol.

Furthermore, it is possible not to print out the output data prepared bythe data processing unit 134 of the data receiving device 130 and storeit temporarily in the RAM 133. In such a case, a criterion of whetherthe output data is storable is to be included as an item of thespecification information of the data receiving device 130.

Embodiment II-2 will be described.

The data transmit-receive system shown in FIG. 24 is different fromEmbodiment II-1 concerning the constitution for communicating in shortdistance between the portable terminal 110A and the data receivingdevice 130A as well as the constitution for the network between theportable terminal 110A and the data transmission device 150A.

More specifically, the portable terminal 110A and the data receivingdevice 130A have an interface for wired connections between devices suchas the serial connection.

Moreover, the data transmission device 150A has an interface 159 for afixed telephone network 180 (LS (Local Switch) 183), and is connected tothe portable terminal 110A via the fixed telephone network 180 and themobile telecommunication network 170.

In further details, the mobile telecommunication network 170 includesthe base station 171 that communicates with the portable terminal 110,the mobile switching center 172 connected with the base station 171, anda mobile GS (Gateway Switch) 174 connected with the fixed telephonenetwork 180 via a POI (Point Of Interface) 175.

The fixed telephone network 180 includes a GS 181 connected to themobile telecommunication network 170 via the POI 175, a TS (Toll Switch)182, and the LS 183 connected to the data transmission device 150.

In the above transmit-receive system, the connection between theportable terminal 110A and the data receiving device 130A is a wiredconnection, and the fixed telephone network 180 exists between theportable terminal 110A and the data transmission device 150A, but thecommunication procedure and the operating procedure between the devices110A, 130A and 150A are identical to those of Embodiment II-1, and aneffect similar to that of Embodiment II-1 can be achieved.

Embodiment II-3 will be described.

Embodiment II-3 is different from Embodiment II-1 in that the datareceiving device supports a plurality of protocols, and the protocolscan be designated at the data transmission device.

Specifically, the data transmission device has a means of alternativelydesignating a protocol. Since the operating procedures of the datareceiving device and the portable terminal are identical to those inEmbodiment II-1, the descriptions are omitted.

The protocols supported by the data receiving device are TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), FTP, IFAX, IPP(Internet Printing Protocol), LPR, Fax, and HTTP (Hyper Text TransferProtocol).

The identification code of the TCP/IP is defined by the IP address. Theidentification code of the FTP is defined by the server name, directoryname and password, and the data format is either the page descriptionlanguage A, the page description language B, or the bitmap data.

The identification code of the IFAX is defined by the e-mail address,and the data format the TIFF-F (Tagged Image File Format-F Profile forFacsimile) compression, which is the file format for the storing andexchanging facsimile image.

The identification code of the IPP is defined by the e-mail address andthe data format is the TIFF-F compression. The identification code ofthe LPR is defined by the IP address, and the data format is either thepage description language A or the page description language B.

The identification code of the FAX is defined by the facsimile numberand the data format is based on that of the facsimile. Theidentification code of the HTTP is defined by the server name and thedirectory name defined by the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and thepassword, while the data format is either the JPEG (Joint PhotographicExperts Group) or the TIFF (Tagged Image File Format).

The operating procedure of the data transmission device is described indetail referring to FIG. 25. The flow chart shown in FIG. 25 is storedin the ROM of the data transmission device as the control program, andis executed by the CPU of the data transmission device.

First, the device information (FIG. 26) of the data receiving devicetransmitted from the portable terminal is received by executing thesteps S1101 through S1105.

Then, a judgment is made whether the data receiving device supports aplurality of protocols based on the contents of the device information(step S1106). When it is judged that the data receiving device does notsupport a plurality of protocols, the process advances to the stepS1109.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the data receiving devicesupports a plurality of protocols, a protocol selection screen as shownin FIG. 27 is displayed on the LCD of the operating unit of the datatransmission device (step S1107).

Next, a judgment is made whether the input of the protocol selectioninstruction exists (step S1108). When it is judged that the protocolselection instruction is inputted, the process advances to the stepS1109.

In the steps S1109 through S1112, transmission data is prepared andtransmitted to the data receiving device.

Thus, a plurality of protocols can be supported and the protocol can beselected at the data transmission device in Embodiment II-3.

Embodiment II-4 will be described.

Embodiment II-4 is different from Embodiment II-3 in that the protocolcan be designated at the portable terminal. In other words, the portableterminal, not the data transmission device, has a means of selectivelydesignating the protocol. Since the operating procedures of the datareceiving device and the data transmission device are identical toEmbodiment II-1, the descriptions will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 28, the operating procedures of the portable terminalwill be described in detail. The flowchart shown in FIG. 28 is stored inthe ROM of the portable terminal as the control program and is executedby the CPU of the portable terminal, for example.

First, the device information (FIG. 26) is received from the datareceiving device by executing the steps S1121 through S1126.

Next, a judgment is made whether the data receiving device supports aplurality of protocols based on the contents of the device information(step S1127). If it is judged that the data receiving device does notsupport a plurality of protocols, the process advances to the stepS1131.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the data receiving devicesupports a plurality of protocols, the LCD of the operating unit of theportable terminal displays, for example, a protocol selection screen(see FIG. 27) (step S1128).

After that, a judgment is made whether the input of the protocolselection instruction exists (step S1129). If it is judged that theprotocol selection instruction is inputted, the device information willbe edited (step S1130), and the process advances to the step S1131. FIG.29 shows the device information after the edition when the HTTP isselected as the protocol.

The device information is transmitted to the data transmission device150 by executing the steps S1131 and S1132.

Thus, the protocol can be designated at the portable terminal in case ofEmbodiment II-4.

Embodiment II-5 will be described.

Embodiment II-5 is different from Embodiment II-1 in that the datareceiving device supports the security function and the datatransmission device has a means of inputting the password for releasingthe security function.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal is identical to that ofEmbodiment II-1, the description is omitted. Moreover, the passwordformat is included as a security item of the specification information,and is a character type, which, for example, consists of eightcharacters.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device is described indetail referring to FIG. 30. The flow chart shown in FIG. 30 is storedin the ROM of the data transmission device as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU of the data transmission device.

The device information (FIG. 31) of the data receiving device isreceived from the portable terminal by executing the steps S1141 throughS1145.

Next, a judgment is made based on the contents of the device informationwhether the data receiving device supports the security function (stepS1146). If it is judged that the security function is not supported, theprocess advances to the step S1149.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the security function issupported, a password input screen, such as shown in FIG. 32, will bedisplayed on the LCD of the operating unit of the data transmissiondevice (step S1147).

Then, a judgment is made whether the password input exists (step S1148).If it is judged that the password is inputted, the process advances tothe step S1149.

At the step S1149, the transmission data is prepared. When the securityfunction is supported, the input value for the password is added to thetransmission data. The prepared data is transmitted to the datareceiving device as the steps S1150 through S1152 are executed.

The operating procedure of the data receiving device will be describedin detail referring to FIG. 33. The flowchart shown in FIG. 33 is storedin the ROM of the data receiving device as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU of the data receiving device.

First, by executing the steps S1161 through S1168, the transmission ofthe device information to the portable terminal and reception of datafrom the data transmission device are completed.

Next, the password is detected from the data (step S1169). Then, ajudgment is made whether the detected password is true (step S1170). Ifit is judged that the password is true, the output data is prepared andoutputted (steps S1171 and S1172). On the other hand, if the password isjudged to be false, the process terminates.

Thus, in Embodiment II-5, the data transmission device can accommodatefor a case wherein the data receiving device supports the securityfunction.

Embodiment II-6 will be described.

Embodiment II-6 is different from Embodiment II-5 in that the portableterminal has a means for inputting the password that releases thesecurity function.

The operating procedure of the data receiving device is the same as thatof Embodiment II-5, and the operating procedure of its data transmissiondevice is the same as that of Embodiment II-1, so that theirdescriptions are omitted here.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal will be described indetail referring to FIG. 34. The flowchart shown in FIG. 34 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the portable terminal as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, by executing the steps S1181 through S1186, the deviceinformation (FIG. 31) is received from the data transmission device.

Next, a judgment is made based on the contents of the device informationwhether the data receiving device supports the security function (stepS1187). If it is judged that the security function is not supported, theprocess advances to the step S1191.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the security function issupported, the password input screen, such as shown in FIG. 35, will bedisplayed on the LCD of the operating unit of the portable terminal(step S1188).

Next, a judgment is made whether the password input exists (step S1189).If it is judged that the password is inputted using the keyboard of theoperating unit, the device information is edited, the password inputvalue is added (step S1190), and the process advances to the step S1191.

After that, the device information is transmitted to the datatransmission device as the steps S1191 and S1192 are executed.

Thus, in Embodiment II-6, the portable terminal can accommodate for acase wherein the data receiving device supports the security function.

Embodiment II-7 will be described.

Embodiment II-7 is different from the Embodiment II-1 through EmbodimentII-6 in that it has a means for canceling the data transmission.

More specifically, in canceling the data transmission, the portableterminal transmits a second device information to the data transmissiondevice, while the data transmission device stops the data transmissionbased on the second device information. The second device informationcontains the transmission disapproval instruction, which is a data forcanceling the transmission.

The device information of the data receiving device is referred to asthe first device information. The operating procedure of the datareceiving device is similar to that of Embodiment II-1, so that itsdescription is omitted here.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 36. The flowchart shown in FIG. 36is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device asthe control program and is executed by the CPU of the data transmissiondevice.

First, by executing the steps S1201 through S1205, the deviceinformation is received from the portable terminal.

Next, a judgment is made whether a transmission disapproval instructionis included in the device information (step S1206).

If it is judged that the transmission disapproval instruction exists,i.e., it is judged that the second device information is received, thetransmission instruction is cancelled and the process is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the transmission disapprovalinstruction does not exist, i.e., it is judged that the first deviceinformation is received, the data for transmission is prepared byexecuting the steps S1207 through S1210 and the data is transmitted tothe data receiving device.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal will be described indetail referring to FIG. 37. The flowchart shown in FIG. 37 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the portable terminal as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, a connection with the data transmission device is established(step S1221). Next, a judgment is made whether a transmission requestfor the first device information is received (step S1222).

When it is judged that the transmission request is received, atransmission selection screen such as shown in FIG. 38 is displayed onthe LCD of the operating unit of the portable terminal prompting aninput of decision whether to transmit the data or not (step S1223).After that, a judgment is made whether there is a transmissiondisapproval instruction (step S1224).

When the transmission disapproval instruction is inputted, the seconddevice information containing the transmission disapproval instructionis prepared to be transmitted without connecting with the data receivingdevice (step S1225), and the connection with the data transmissiondevice is severed (step S1231).

On the other hand, when the transmission approval instruction isinputted, the first device information is obtained from the datareceiving device, the first device information is transmitted to thedata transmission device, and the connection is severed as the stepsS1226 through S1231 are executed.

Thus, the data volume of the second device information is small, and itcauses little burden on the portable terminal for transmission/receptionof the device information. Therefore, it is possible to cancel the datatransmission without being restricted by the function of the portableterminal.

Embodiment II-8 will be described.

Embodiment II-8 is different from the Embodiment II-1 through EmbodimentII-7 in that it has a means of holding the data transmission using athird device information.

The third device information is device information of the datatransmission device required for the portable terminal to establish aconnection with the data transmission device via the mobiletelecommunication network and contains, for example, connectioninformation consisting of telephone number and storage informationconsisting of identification number of a file to be transmitted.

The operating procedure of the data receiving device is identical tothat of Embodiment II-1 so that the description is omitted.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed referring to the sequence chart of FIG. 39.

First, the data transmission device transmits a connection request tothe portable terminal. As it receives the connection request, theportable terminal transmits a connection response to the datatransmission device. This establishes the connection between the datatransmission device and the portable terminal.

Next, the data transmission device transmits the transmission requestfor the first device information to the portable terminal.

Upon receiving the transmission request for the first deviceinformation, the portable terminal transmits a hold request to the datatransmission device. Then, the data transmission device transmits thethird device information to the portable terminal and severs theconnection.

The portable terminal transmits the connection request to the datatransmission device based on the third device information before thedata transmission. Upon receiving the connection request, the datatransmission device transmits a connection response to the portableterminal.

Thus, the connection between the portable terminal and the datatransmission device is established.

The portable terminal transmits the data transmission start request tothe data transmission device. The data transmission device thentransmits the transmission request for the first device information tothe portable terminal.

Upon receiving the transmission request for the first deviceinformation, the portable terminal executes the process similar as inEmbodiment II-1, and the data transmission device finally transmits thedata to the data receiving device.

Next, the operating procedure of the data transmission device will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 40. The flowchart shown in FIG. 40is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device asthe control program and is executed by the CPU of the data transmissiondevice.

First, a judgment is made as to whether a transmission instruction isinputted (step S1241). If it is judged that the transmission instructionis inputted, a connection with the portable terminal is established(step S1242), and a transmission request for the first deviceinformation is transmitted to the portable terminal (step S1243).

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the first device information isreceived from the portable terminal (step S1244). If it is judged thatthe first device information is received, the steps S1244 through S1249are executed for transmitting data to the data receiving device.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the first device information hasnot been received, a judgment is further made as to whether the holdrequest is received (step S1250). If it is judged that the hold requesthas not been received, the process returns to the step S1244.

If it is judged that the hold request has been received, the thirddevice information is transmitted to the portable terminal (step S1251),and the connection with the portable terminal is severed (step S1252).

After that, a connection with the portable terminal is established basedon the third device information (step S1253).

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the start request is received(step S1254). When the start request is received, the process returns tothe step S1243, and data is transmitted from the data transmissiondevice to the data receiving device as the steps S1243 through S1249 areexecuted.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal will be described indetail referring to FIG. 41. The flowchart shown in FIG. 41 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the portable terminal as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, a connection with the data transmission device is established(step S1261), and a judgment is made whether a transmission request forthe first device information is received (step S1262).

When it is judged that the transmission request is received, atransmission hold selection screen such as shown in FIG. 42 is displayedon the LCD of the operating unit of the portable terminal and then ajudgment is made whether a hold instruction is inputted (step S1263).

If it is judged that the hold instruction is not requested, the stepsS1264 through S1269 are executed for transmitting the first deviceinformation to the data transmission device.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the hold instruction has beeninputted, the hold request is transmitted to the data transmissiondevice (step S1270).

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the third device information isreceived (step S1271). If it is judged that the third device informationis received, the connection with the data transmission device will besevered (step S1272), and the received third device information will bestored into the RAM (step S1273).

After that, a transmission start selection screen as shown in FIG. 43 isdisplayed on the crystal liquid display of the operating unit of theportable terminal, and a judgment is made as to whether the startinstruction is inputted (step S1274). In an actual case, a copyingmachine, image scanner, facsimile, etc., will be displayed as the datatransmission device on the transmission start selection screen.

If it is judged that a start instruction is inputted, a connection withthe data transmission device is established using the third deviceinformation stored in the RAM (step S1275), and a start request istransmitted to the data transmission device (step S1276).

Next, the process returns to the step S1262, and the steps S1262 throughS1269 are executed for transmitting the first device information to thedata transmission device.

Thus, the data volume of the third device information is small, and itcauses little burden on the portable terminal for transmission/receptionof the device information. Therefore, it is possible to hold the datatransmission without being restricted by the function of the portableterminal.

Embodiment II-9 will be described.

The data transmit-receive system according to Embodiment II-9 isdifferent from Embodiment II-1 in that it includes a plurality of datareceiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D, wherein the data transmissiondevice 150 has a means of automatically selecting one of the datareceiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D as a destination device, as shownin FIG. 44.

The operating procedure of the data receiving device is identical tothat of Embodiment II-1, so that its description is omitted.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system isdescribed referring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 45.

First, the data transmission device 150 transmits a connection requestto the portable terminal 110. Upon receiving the connection request, theportable terminal 110 transmits a connection response to the datatransmission device 150.

Thus, the connection between the data transmission device 150 and theportable terminal 110 is established. The data transmission device 150transmits a device information transmission request to the portableterminal 110.

Upon receiving the device information transmission request, the portableterminal 110 transmits a connection request to the data receivingdevices 130B, 130C and 130D located nearby. Upon receiving theconnection request, the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130Dtransmit connection responses, respectively.

Next, the portable terminal 110 transmits the device informationtransmission request to the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D,and obtains, for example, three kinds of device information as shown inFIG. 46.

On the other hand, the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D severtheir connections with the portable terminal 110 after transmitting thedevice information.

The portable terminal 110 edits the plurality of device information asreceived, prepares combined device information as shown in FIG. 47,transmits the device information to the data transmission device 150,and severs the connection with the data transmission device 150.

The data transmission device 150 compares the data contained in thedevice information, automatically selects one of the data receivingdevices 130B, 130C and 130D as the destination device, and transmits aconnection request to the selected destination device.

Upon receiving the connection request, the destination device transmitsa connection response to the data transmission device 150. Thisestablishes a connection between the data transmission device 150 andthe destination device. The data transmission device 150 transmits datato the destination device and then severs the connection with thedestination device.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device 150 will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 48. The flowchart shown in FIG. 48is, for example, stored in the ROM 152 as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU 151.

First, by executing the steps S1301 through S1305, the deviceinformation (see FIG. 47) is received from the portable terminal 110.

Next, the data of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130Dcontained in the device information are compared and a properdestination device is selected (step S1306).

Then, transmission data is prepared using the specification informationof the destination device (step S1307), and a connection is establishedbased on the connection information of the destination device (stepS1308).

Next, the prepared data is transmitted and the connection with thedestination device will be severed (step S1309).

The operating procedure of the portable terminal 110 will be describedin detail referring to FIG. 49. The flowchart shown in FIG. 49 is, forexample, stored in the ROM 112 as the control program and is executed bythe CPU 111.

First, a connection with the data transmission device 150 is establishedand the transmission request is received (step S1311).

Next, a connection request is transmitted to the data receiving devices130B, 130C and 130D (step S1312), and a judgment is made whether aconnection response is received (step S1313). If it is judged that noconnection response exists, the process proceeds to the step S1317.

On the other hand, if it is judged that there is a connection response,a transmission request is transmitted (step S1314).

After that, a judgment is made as to whether any device information isreceived (step S1315). If it is judged that device information isreceived, the connection with the data receiving device, whichtransmitted the device information, is severed (step S1316), and theprocess advances to the step S1317.

At the step S1317, a judgment is made whether the next data receivingdevice exists, or whether there is any data receiving device of thedevice information which has not been received.

By repeating the steps S1313 through S1317, the device information (FIG.46) of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D can be obtained.

Next, the device information of the data receiving devices 130B, 130Cand 130D is edited and combined to form single device information (stepS1318). The combined device information (see FIG. 47) is transmitted tothe data transmission device 150, and the connection with the datatransmission device 150 is severed (step S1322).

Thus, in Embodiment II-9, the data transmission device 150 automaticallyselects one of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D as thedestination device without being restricted by the function of theportable terminal.

Moreover, the portable terminal 110 is not notified about thedestination device selected at the data transmission device 150.However, it is possible to notify the portable terminal 110 about thedestination device by the data transmission device 150 via the mobiletelecommunication network, or cause the destination device to notify theportable terminal 110.

Embodiment II-10 will be described.

Embodiment II-10 is different from Embodiment II-9 in that the datatransmission device provides a means for the user to select thedestination device manually. The operating procedures of the portableterminal and the data receiving device are identical to those ofEmbodiment II-9, so that their descriptions are omitted.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 50. The flowchart shown in FIG. 50is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device asthe control program and is executed by the CPU of the data transmissiondevice.

First, by executing the steps S1351 through S1355, the deviceinformation (see FIG. 47) is received from the portable terminal.

Next, the data receiving device selection screen as shown in FIG. 51,for example, is generated based on data of the each data receivingdevice contained in the device information, and is displayed (stepS1356). If a data receiving device that has device informationinappropriate for the data transmission device, the data receivingdevice will not be displayed on the data receiving device selectionscreen.

Then, a judgment is made whether there is any selection input(instruction for the destination device) made by the user (step S1357).If it is judged that the selection is completed, the transmission datais prepared using the specification information of the selecteddestination device (step S1358).

After that, the connection with the destination device is establishedbased on the connection information of the selected destination device(step S1359), the prepared data is transmitted, and then the connectionwith the destination device is severed (step S1360).

Thus, the user can select manually at the data transmission device oneof the data receiving devices as the destination device.

Embodiment II-11 will be described.

Embodiment II-11 is different from Embodiment II-9 in that the portableterminal provides a means for the user to select the destination devicemanually. The operating procedures of the data transmission device isidentical to that of Embodiment II-1 and the operating procedure of thedata receiving device is identical to that of Embodiment II-9, so thattheir descriptions are omitted.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal will be described indetail referring to FIG. 52. The flowchart shown in FIG. 52 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the portable terminal as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, by executing the steps S1361 through S1367, the deviceinformation (see FIG. 46A through FIG. 46C) is received from the datareceiving device.

Next, the data receiving device selection screen (FIG. 51), for example,is generated based on the device information, and is displayed (stepS1368).

After that, a judgment is made whether there is any selection input madeby the user (step S1369). If it is judged, for example, that datareceiving device 130B is selected, the device information shown in FIG.46A is transmitted to the data transmission device, and then theconnection with the data transmission device will be severed (stepS1370).

Thus, the user can select manually at the portable terminal one of thedata receiving devices as the destination device.

Embodiment III-1 will be described.

Embodiment III-1 is different from Embodiment II-1 in that a fourthdevice information is transmitted to the data receiving device using theportable terminal from the data transmission device and the datareceiving device establishes a connection with the data transmissiondevice based on the fourth device information.

The fourth device information is the device information of the datatransmission device required for establishing a connection with the datatransmission device via the computer network, and contains, for example,an identification code such as the IP address, a communication protocol,a storage information consisting of identification number of a file tobe transmitted.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed referring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 53.

First, the data transmission device transmits a connection request tothe portable terminal. The portable terminal transmits a connectionresponse to the data transmission device. Thus, a connection isestablished between the data transmission device and the portableterminal.

The data transmission device transmits the fourth device information tothe portable terminal, and then severs the connection with the portableterminal. Upon receiving the fourth device information of the datatransmission device, the portable terminal transmits a connectionrequest to the data receiving device located nearby.

Upon receiving the connection request, the data receiving devicetransmits a connection response to the portable terminal. Thus, theconnection between the portable terminal and the data receiving deviceis established.

The portable terminal transmits the fourth device information to thedata receiving device, and then severs the connection with the datareceiving device.

Next, the data receiving device transmits a connection request to thedata transmission device based on the fourth device information. Uponreceiving the connection request, the data transmission device transmitsa connection response to the data receiving device.

Thus, the connection between the data receiving device and the datatransmission device is established. The data receiving device transmitsthe data transmission request and the first device information (owndevice information) to the data transmission device.

Upon receiving the data transmission request and the first deviceinformation, the data transmission device transmits the requested datato the data receiving device based on the first device information, andthen severs the connection with the data receiving device.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device is described indetail referring to FIG. 54. The flow char of FIG. 54 is, for example,stored in the ROM of the data transmission device, for example, as thecontrol program, and is executed by the CPU of the data transmissiondevice.

First, a judgment is made whether there is any transmission instructioninput by the user using the operating unit (step S1401). If it is judgedthat there is a transmission instruction input, a connection with theportable terminal is established (step S1402).

The fourth device information of the data transmission device istransmitted to the portable terminal (step S1403), and the connectionwith the portable terminal is severed (step S1404).

Next, a connection with the data receiving device is established basedon the fourth device information (step S1405). A judgment is made as towhether the data transmission request and the first device informationare received (step S1406).

If it is judged that the reception is completed, transmission data isprepared using the specification information contained in the firstdevice information (step S1407) and transmitted to the data receivingdevice based on the connection information contained in the first deviceinformation (step S1408), and the connection with the data receivingdevice is severed (step S1409).

The operating procedure of the portable terminal is described in detailreferring to FIG. 55. The flow chart of FIG. 55 is stored in the ROM ofthe portable terminal, for example, as the control program, and isexecuted by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, a connection with the data transmission device is established(step S1411), and a judgment is made as to whether the fourth deviceinformation is received (step S1412). If it is judged that the fourthdevice information is received, the connection with the datatransmission device is severed (step S1413).

Next, a connection with the data receiving device is established (stepS1414), the fourth device information is transmitted to the datareceiving device (step S1415), and the connection with the datareceiving device is severed (step S1416).

The operating procedure of the data receiving device will be describedin detail referring to FIG. 56. The flow chart of FIG. 56 is stored inthe ROM of the data receiving device, for example, as the controlprogram, and is executed by the CPU of the data receiving device.

First, a connection with the portable terminal is established (stepS1421), a judgment as to whether the fourth device information isreceived (step S1422). If it is judged that the fourth deviceinformation is received, the connection with the portable terminal issevered (step S1423).

Next, a connection with the data transmission device is establishedusing the fourth device information (step S1424), while the datatransmission request and the first device information (own deviceinformation) is transmitted (step S1425).

Thereafter the data from the data transmission device is received (stepS1426). Next, a judgment is made as to whether the data transmission iscompleted (step S1427). If it is judged that the data transmission iscompleted, a connection with the data transmission device will besevered (step S1428).

Then, the output data is prepared using the received data, and theobtained data is outputted (step S1429).

Thus, the data volume of the device information is small compared to thedata being transmitted in the data transmit-receive system according toEmbodiment III-1, and it causes little burden on the portable terminalfor transmission/reception of the device information.

On the other hand, the data transmission from the data transmissiondevice to the data receiving device can be executed through the computernetwork without being restricted by the function of the portableterminal.

Embodiment III-2 will be described.

Embodiment III-2 is different from Embodiment III-1 in that it has ameans of causing the data transmission to hold using the third deviceinformation (refer to Embodiment II-8).

More specifically, in causing the data transmission to hold, theportable terminal severs the connection with the data transmissiondevice after obtaining the third device information while establishing aconnection with the data transmission device based on the third deviceinformation when starting the data transmission.

Since the operating procedure for the data receiving device is identicalto Embodiment III-1, its description is omitted here.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 57. The flowchart shown in FIG. 57is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device asthe control program and is executed by the CPU of the data transmissiondevice.

First, the steps S1441 through S1443 are executed for transmitting atransmission request to the portable terminal.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether a hold request is received (stepS1444). If it is judged that the hold request has not been received, thesteps S1445 through S1450 are executed, and the data is transmitted fromthe data transmission device to the data receiving device.

If it is judged that the hold request is received, the third deviceinformation is transmitted to the portable terminal (step S1451), andthe connection with the portable terminal will be severed (step S1452).

Thereafter a connection with the portable terminal is established usingthe third device information (step S1453). Next, a judgment is made asto whether a start request exists (step S1454).

If it is judged that a start request is received, the process returns tothe step S1445, and the steps S1445 through S1450 are executed fortransmitting the data from the data transmission device to the datareceiving device.

The operating procedure of the portable terminal will be described indetail referring to FIG. 58. The flowchart shown in FIG. 58 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the portable terminal as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the portable terminal.

First, a connection with the data transmission device (step S1461), ajudgment is made as to whether a transmission request exists (stepS1462).

If it is judged that the transmission request is received, atransmission hold selection screen (refer to FIG. 42) is displayed onthe LCD of the operating unit of the portable terminal, and then, ajudgment is made as to whether a hold instruction input exists (stepS1463). If it is judged that no hold instruction input exits, the stepsS1464 through S1468 are executed, and the fourth device information istransmitted to the data receiving device.

If it is judged that the hold instruction is inputted, a hold request istransmitted to the data transmission device (step S1469).

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the third device information isreceived (step S1470). If it is judged that it is received, theconnection with the data transmission device will be severed (stepS1471). The received third device information is stored in the RAM (stepS1472).

Thereafter, a transmission start selection screen (refer to FIG. 43) isdisplayed on the LCD of the operating unit of the portable terminal, anda judgment is made as to whether a start instruction input exists (stepS1473). If it is judged that the start instruction is inputted, aconnection with the data transmission device is established using thethird device information stored in the RAM (step S1474).

Next, a start request is transmitted to the data transmission device(step S1475). The process returns to the step S1464, and the steps S1464through S1468 are executed for transmitting the fourth deviceinformation to the data receiving device.

Thus, by using the third device information whose data volume is small,it is possible to hold the data transmission without having anyrestrictions from the function of the portable terminal.

Embodiment IV-1 will be described.

Embodiment IV-1 is different from Embodiment II-1 in that the deviceinformation of the data receiving device 130 is transmitted to the datatransmission device 150B using a plurality of portable terminals 110,110B as shown in FIG. 59.

The portable terminal (the second portable terminal) 110B is similarlyconstituted as the portable terminal (the first portable terminal) 110and has a communication means for communicating via the mobiletelecommunication network 170 and a local communication means forcommunicating in short distances.

The data transmission device 150B is different from the datatransmission device 150 related to Embodiment II-1 in that it has alocal communication means for communicating with the second portableterminal in short distances.

The operating procedure of the data receiving device is identical tothat of Embodiment II-1, its description is omitted.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed in detail referring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 60.

First, as a transmission instruction is inputted, the second portableterminal 110B transmits a connection request to the first portableterminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network 170. The firstportable terminal 110 transmits a connection response to the secondportable terminal 110B after receiving the connection request.

Thus, the connection between the second portable terminal 110B and thefirst portable terminal 110 is established. The second portable terminal110B transmits the device information transmission request to the firstportable terminal 110.

Upon receiving the device information transmission request, the firstportable terminal 110 transmits a connection request to the datareceiving device 130 located nearby. Upon receiving the connectionrequest, the data receiving device 130 transmits the connection responseto the first portable terminal 110.

Thus, the connection between the first portable terminal 110 and thedata receiving device 130 is established. The first portable terminal110 transmits a device information transmission request to the datareceiving device 130.

Next, the data receiving device 130 transmits the device information tothe first portable terminal 110, and then severs the connection with thefirst portable terminal 110.

On the other hand, the first portable terminal 110 transmits thereceived device information to the second portable terminal 110B via themobile telecommunication network 170, and then severs the connectionwith the second portable terminal 110B.

Upon receiving the device information, the second portable terminal 110Btransmits a connection request to the data transmission device 150Blocated nearby. Upon receiving the connection request, the datatransmission device 150B transmits the connection response to the secondportable terminal 110B.

Thus, the connection between the second portable terminal 110B and thedata transmission device 150B is established. The second portableterminal 110B transmits the device information to the data transmissiondevice 150B.

Next, the data transmission device 150B transmits a connection requestto the data receiving device 130 via the computer network 190 based onthe device information. Upon receiving the connection request, the datareceiving device 130 transmits a connection response to the datatransmission device 150B via the computer network 190.

Thus, the connection between the data transmission device 150B and thedata receiving device 130 is established. The data transmission device150B transmits the data to the data receiving device 130, and thensevers the connection with the data receiving device 130.

The operating procedure of the second portable terminal 110B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 61. The flowchart shown in FIG. 61is, for example, stored in the ROM of the second portable terminal 110Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the second portableterminal 110B.

First, a judgment is made as to whether a transmission instruction isinputted by the user (step S1501). If it is judged that the transmissioninstruction input exists, a connection with the first portable terminal110 is established via the mobile telecommunication network 170 (stepS1502), a device information transmission request is transmitted to thefirst portable terminal 110 (step S1503).

Next, a judgment is made whether the device information is received fromthe first portable terminal 110 via the mobile telecommunication network170 (step S1504). If it is judged that the device information isreceived, the connection with the first portable terminal 110 will besevered (step S1505).

The connection is then established with the data transmission device150B located nearby (step S1506). The device information is transmittedto the data transmission device 150B (step S1507), and the connectionwith the data transmission device 150B is severed (step S1508).

The operating procedure of the data transmission device 150B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 62. The flowchart shown in FIG. 62is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device 150Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the datatransmission device 150B.

First, a judgment is made as to whether there is any connection requestfrom the second portable terminal 110B exists (step S1511). If it isjudged that a connection request is received, a connection response istransmitted to the second portable terminal 110B (step S1512). Thus, theconnection between the data transmission device 150B and the secondportable terminal 110B is established.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the device information isreceived (step S1513). If it is judged that the device information isreceived, the connection with the second portable terminal 110B issevered (step S1514).

Then, the steps S1515 through S1518 are executed for transmitting theprepared data to the data receiving device 130.

The operating procedure of the first portable terminal 110 will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 63. The flowchart shown in FIG. 63is, for example, stored in the ROM 112 as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU 111.

First, the connection with the second portable terminal 110B isestablished via the mobile telecommunication network 170 (step S1521). Ajudgment is made as to whether any device information transmissionrequest is received (step S1522).

If it is judged that the transmission request is received, theconnection with the data receiving device 130 located nearby isestablished (step S1523), and a device information transmission requestis transmitted to data receiving device 130 (step S1524).

Then, a judgment is made as to whether any device information has beenreceived from the data receiving device 130 (step S1525). If it isjudged that the device information is received, the connection with thedata receiving device 130 will be severed (step S1526).

Next, the device information is transmitted to the second portableterminal 110B via the mobile telecommunication network 170 (step S1527),and the connection with the second portable terminal 110B is severed(step S1528).

Thus, in Embodiment IV-1, a more flexible system can be constituted as aplurality of portable terminals is used.

Embodiment IV-2 will be described.

Embodiment IV-2 is different from Embodiment IV-1 in that, as shown inFIG. 64, the data transmit-receive system includes a plurality of datatransmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D and that the second portableterminal 110B has a means of selecting one of the data transmissiondevices 150B, 150C and 150D as a source device using a fifth deviceinformation and a sixth device information.

The data transmission devices 150C and 150D has a local communicationmeans for communicating with the second portable terminal 110B in shortdistances as the data transmission device 150B.

The fifth device information contains the connection information thatcan be used on the data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D and thespecification information of the output means of the data transmissiondevice 150B, 150C and 150D, and corresponds to the first deviceinformation.

The sixth device information is the identification data required for thesecond portable terminal 110B to establish connections with the datatransmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D, respectively.

Since the operating procedures of the first portable terminal 110 andthe data receiving device 130 are similar to those of Embodiment IV-1,their descriptions are omitted here.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed here referring to the sequence chart shown in FIG. 65.

First, similar to Embodiment IV-1, the second portable terminal 110Breceives the first device information of the data receiving device 130via the first portable terminal 110.

Next, the second portable terminal 110B transmits connection requests tothe data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D. Each of the datatransmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D transmits a connection responseas well as the fifth device information and the sixth device informationto the second portable terminal 110B, and severs the connection with thesecond portable terminal 110B.

The second portable terminal 110B compares the first device informationand the fifth device information and selects one of the datatransmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D as a source device. Thereafter,the second portable terminal 110B establishes the connection with thesource device based on the sixth device information of the sourcedevice, and transmits the first device information to the source device.

Next, the source device transmits the data to the data receiving device130 based on the first device information similar to Embodiment IV-1.

The operating procedure of the second portable terminal 110B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 66. The flowchart shown in FIG. 66is, for example, stored in the ROM of the second portable terminal 110Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the second portableterminal 110B.

First, the steps S1601 through S1604 are executed for receiving thefirst device information from the first portable terminal 110.

Next, connection requests are transmitted to the data transmissiondevices 150B, 150C and 150D (step S1605), and a judgment is made as towhether any connection response is received (step S1606). If it isjudged that a connection response is received, a transmission requestfor the fifth device information and the sixth device information istransmitted (step S1607).

Then, a judgment is made whether the fifth device information and thesixth device information are received (step S1608). If it is judged thatthe fifth device information and the sixth device information arereceived, the fifth device information and sixth device information willbe stored into the RAM (step S1609), and the connection will be severed(step S1610).

When the storage of the fifth device information and the sixth deviceinformation of the data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D iscompleted by repeating the steps S1606 through S1610, the first deviceinformation and the fifth device information are compared, and one ofthe data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D is automaticallyselected as the source device (step S1611).

Next, the data transmission device instruction screen is displayed onthe LCD of the second portable terminal (step S1612).

For example, if the data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D havethe fifth device information shown in FIGS. 67A through 67Crespectively, and the data receiving device 130 has the first deviceinformation shown in FIG. 67D, the data transmission device 150B has thefifth device information that corresponds to the first deviceinformation of the data receiving device 130, the data transmissiondevice 150B will be automatically selected and, for example, the datatransmission device instruction screen shown in FIG. 68 will bedisplayed.

Next, the connection with the selected source device is establishedbased on the sixth device information of the source device (step S1613),and the first device information is transmitted (step S1614). Then, theconnection is severed (step S1615).

The operating procedures of the data transmission devices 150B, 150C and150D will be described in detail referring to FIG. 69. The flowchartshown in FIG. 69 is stored in the ROMs of the data transmission devices150B, 150C and 150D, for example, as the control program and is executedby the CPUs of the data transmission devices 150B, 150C and 150D.

First, a judgment is made as to whether a connection request is receivedfrom the second portable terminal 110B (step S1621). If it is judgedthat the connection request is received, a connection response istransmitted to the second portable terminal 110B (step S1622). Thus, theconnection between the data transmission device 150B and the secondportable terminal 110B is established.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether a transmission request isreceived (step S1623). If it is judged that the transmission request isreceived, the fifth device information and the sixth device informationare transmitted to the second portable terminal 110B (step S1624), andthe connection with the second portable terminal 110B will be severed(step S1625).

Thereafter, a judgment is made as to whether a connection request to betransmitted from the second portable terminal 110B based on the sixthdevice information exists (step S1626).

Next, the first device information is obtained from the second portableterminal 110B by executing the steps S1627 through S1629, and the dataprepared is transmitted to the data receiving device 130 by executingthe steps S1630 through S1633.

Thus, the data volume of the fifth device information and the sixthdevice information is small, and it causes little burden on the portableterminal for transmission/reception of the device information.Therefore, one of the data transmission devices can be automaticallyselected as the source device at the second portable terminal withoutbeing restricted by the function of the portable terminal.

Embodiment IV-3 will be described.

Embodiment IV-3 is different from Embodiment IV-2 in that the secondportable terminal provides a means for the user to select the sourcedevice manually. Since the operating procedures of the first portableterminal, the data transmission device and the data receiving device areidentical to those of Embodiment IV-2, their descriptions are omitted.

The operating procedure of the second portable terminal 110B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 70. The flowchart shown in FIG. 70is, for example, stored in the ROM of the second portable terminal 110Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the second portableterminal 110B.

First, the steps S1641 through S1650 are executed for receiving thefirst device information, the fifth device information and the sixthdevice information.

Next, the data transmission device selection screen shown in FIG. 71 is,for example, generated and displayed on the LCD of the second portableterminal based on the fifth device information (step S1651).

If an unsuitable data transmission device is found as a result of thecomparison of the first device information and the fifth deviceinformation, the unsuitable data transmission device will not bedisplayed on the data transmission device selection screen.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the user's selection input exists(step S1652). If it is judged that the selection is completed, aconnection with the selected source device is established based on thesixth device information of the selected source device (step S1653), andthe first device information is transmitted (step S1654). Then theconnection is severed (step S1655).

Thus, in Embodiment IV-3, one of the data transmission devices can beselected manually at the second portable terminal as the source device.

Embodiment IV-4 will be described.

Embodiment IV-4 is different from Embodiment IV-1 in that, as shown inFIG. 72, the data transmit-receive system includes a plurality of datareceiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D and that the data transmissiondevice 150B has a means of automatically selecting one of the datareceiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D as a destination device.

Since the operating procedure of the second portable terminal 110B isidentical to that of Embodiment IV-1 and the operating procedures of thefirst portable terminal 110 and the data receiving devices 130B, 130Cand 130D are identical to those of Embodiment II-9, their descriptionsare omitted here.

The operating procedure of the data transmission device 150B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 73. The flowchart shown in FIG. 73is, for example, stored in the ROM of the data transmission device 150Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the datatransmission device 150B.

First, the steps S1661 through S1665 are executed to receive the firstdevice information (refer to FIG. 47) generated by combining the firstdevice information of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D(refer to FIG. 46A through FIG. 46C).

Next, the data of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130Dcontained in the first device information are compared and a properdestination device is selected (step S1666).

Then, transmission data is prepared using the specification informationof the destination device (step S1667), and a connection is establishedbased on the connection information of the destination device (stepS1668).

Next, the prepared data is transmitted and the connection with thedestination device will be severed (step S1669).

Thus, in Embodiment IV-4, the data transmission device automaticallyselects one of the data receiving devices as the destination devicewithout being restricted by the function of the portable terminal in thesame way as in Embodiment II-9.

Embodiment IV-5 will be described.

Embodiment IV-5 is different from Embodiment IV-4 in that the secondportable terminal provides a means for the user to select thedestination device manually.

The operating procedures of the data transmission device 150B isidentical to that of Embodiment IV-1 and the operating procedures of thefirst portable terminal 110 and the data receiving devices 130B, 130 cand 130D are identical to that of Embodiment IV-4, so that theirdescriptions are omitted.

The operating procedure of the second portable terminal will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 74. The flowchart shown in FIG. 74is, for example, stored in the ROM of the second portable terminal asthe control program and is executed by the CPU of the second portableterminal.

First, the steps S1671 through S1674 are executed to receive the firstdevice information (refer to FIG. 47) generated by combining the firstdevice information of the data receiving devices 130B, 130C and 130D(refer to FIG. 46A through FIG. 46C).

Next, the data receiving device selection screen (refer to FIG. 51) isgenerated based on the first device information and displayed (stepS1675).

Then, a judgment is made whether the user's selection input exists (stepS1676). If it is judged that the selection is completed, a connectionwith the data transmission device is established (step S1677).

Next, the first device information of the selected destination device istransmitted (step S1678). Then, the connection with the datatransmission device is severed (step S1679).

Thus, in Embodiment IV-5, one of the data receiving devices can beselected manually at the second portable terminal as the destinationdevice.

Embodiment V-1 will be described.

The data transmit-receive system shown in FIG. 75 is different from thatof Embodiment IV-1 in that the data transmitted via the computer network190 is encoded voice data and that the first device 130E and the seconddevice 150E have codec means for coding/decoding the voice data.

In other words, the first portable terminal 110 and the second portableterminal 110B execute voice communication via the computer network 190in the data transmit-receive system according to Embodiment V-1.

More specifically, the first device 130E performs encoding of voice datatransmitted from the first portable terminal 110 via the localcommunication means in order to transmit it to the second device 150Evia the computer network 190, as well as decoding of encoded datareceived from the second device 150E via the computer network 190 intovoice data in order to transmit it to the first portable terminal 110using the local communication means.

On the other hand, the second device 150E performs encoding of voicedata transmitted from the second portable terminal 110B via the localcommunication means in order to transmit it to the first device 130E viathe computer network 190, as well as decoding of encoded data receivedfrom the first device 130E via the computer network 190 into voice datain order to transmit it to the second portable terminal 110B using thelocal communication means.

The communication procedure of the data transmit-receive system will bedescribed referring to the sequence chart of FIG. 76.

First, when the second portable terminal 110B receives a transmissioninstruction, the connection is established between the first device 130Eand the second device 150E via the computer network 190 similar toEmbodiment IV-1. Then, the first device 130E and the second device 150Etransmit connection establishment notices to the first portable terminal110 and the second portable terminal 110B, respectively.

Next, upon receiving the connection establishment notice from the seconddevice 150E, the second portable terminal 110B transmits the voice datainputted by the user to the second device 150E. The second device 150Eencodes voice data from the second portable terminal 110B and transmitsit to the first device 130E via the computer network 190.

The first device 130E decodes encoded data from the second device 150Einto voice data and transmits it to the first portable terminal 110,which is reproduced at the first portable terminal 110.

On the other hand, the first portable terminal 110 transmits the voicedata inputted by the user to the first device 130E. The first device130E encodes voice data from the first portable terminal 110 andtransmits it to the second device 150E via the computer network 190.

The second device 150E decodes encoded data from the first device 130Einto voice data and transmits it to the second portable terminal 110B,which is reproduced at the second portable terminal 110B.

The operating procedure of the second device 150E will be described indetail referring to FIG. 77. The flowchart shown in FIG. 77 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the second device 150E as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the second device 150E.

First, the steps S1701 and S1702 are executed for receiving the firstdevice information of the first device 130E from the second portableterminal 110B. The device information of the first device 130E containsonly the connection information as shown in FIG. 78.

Next, when the connection with the first device 130E is establishedbased on the connection information (step S1703), a connectionestablishment notice is transmitted to the second portable terminal 110B(step S1704). Thereafter, a judgment is made as to whether voice data isreceived from the second portable terminal 110B (step S1705).

If it is judged that voice data is received, the voice data is encoded(step S1706) and transmitted to the first device 130E (step S1707),while the process advances to the step S1711.

On the other hand, if it is judged that voice data is not received, ajudgment is further made as to whether encoded data is received from thefirst device 130E (step S1708). If it is judged that encoded data isreceived, the encoded data is decoded (step S1709) and is transmitted tothe second portable terminal 110B as voice data (step S1710), while theprocess advances to the step S1711.

In addition, the steps S1709 and S1710 are skipped if it is judged thatthe encoded data is not received.

At the step S1711, a judgment is made as to whether the voicecommunication is completed. If it is judged that the voice communicationis not completed, the process returns to the step S1705. On the otherhand, if it is judged that the voice communication is completed, theconnection with the first device 130E will be severed (step S1712).

The operating procedure of the second portable terminal 110B will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 79. The flowchart shown in FIG. 79is, for example, stored in the ROM of the second portable terminal 110Bas the control program and is executed by the CPU of the second portableterminal 110B.

First, the steps S1721 through S1724 are executed for transmitting thedevice information of the first device 130E obtained from the firstportable terminal 110 to the second device 150E.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the connection establishmentnotice from the second device 150E is received (step S1725). When thereceipt of the connection establishment notice is confirmed, a judgmentis made as to whether voice data is received from the microphone of thevoice input/output unit (step S1726).

If it is judged that voice is inputted, the voice is converted intovoice data (step S1727) and transmitted to the second device 150E (stepS1728), while the process advances to the step S1731.

On the other hand, if it is judged that voice is not inputted, ajudgment is further made as to whether voice data is received from thesecond device 150E (step S1729). If it is judged that the voice data isreceived, the voice data is reproduced by the speaker of the voiceinput/output unit (step S1730), while the process advances to the stepS1731.

In addition, the step S1730 is skipped if it is judged that the voicedata is not received.

At the step S1731, a judgment is made as to whether the voicecommunication is completed. If it is judged that the voice communicationis not completed, the process returns to the step S1726. On the otherhand, if it is judged that the communication is completed, the processis terminated.

The operating procedure of the first portable terminal 110 will bedescribed in detail referring to FIG. 80. The flowchart shown in FIG. 80is, for example, stored in the ROM 112 as the control program and isexecuted by the CPU 111.

First, steps S1741 through S1745 are executed for transmitting thedevice information of the first device 130E to the second portableterminal 110B.

Next, a judgment is made as to whether the connection establishmentnotice from the first device 130E is received (step S1746). When thereceipt of the connection establishment notice is confirmed, a judgmentis made as to whether voice data is inputted from the microphone of thevoice input/output unit (step S1747).

If it is judged that voice is inputted, the voice is converted intovoice data (step S1748) and transmitted to the first device 130E (stepS1749), while the process advances to the step S1752.

If it is judged that voice is not inputted, a judgment is further madeas to whether voice data is received from the first device 130E (stepS1750). If it is judged that the voice data is received, the voice datais reproduced by the speaker of the voice input/output unit (stepS1751), while the process advances to the step S1752.

In addition, the step S1751 is skipped if it is judged that the voicedata is not received.

At the step S1752, a judgment is made as to whether the voicecommunication is completed. If it is judged that the voice communicationis not completed, the process returns to the step S1747. On the otherhand, if it is judged that the voice communication is completed, theprocess is terminated.

The operating procedure of the first device 130E will be described indetail referring to FIG. 81. The flowchart shown in FIG. 81 is, forexample, stored in the ROM of the first device 130E as the controlprogram and is executed by the CPU of the first device 130E.

First, steps S1761 through S1763 are executed for establishing theconnection with the second device 150E. Next, a connection establishmentnotice is transmitted to the first portable terminal 110 (step S1764).Then, a judgment is made as to whether voice data is received from thefirst portable terminal 110 (step S1765).

If it is judged that voice data is received, the voice data is encoded(step S1769) and transmitted to the second device 150E (step S1770),while the process advances to the step S1771.

On the other hand, if it is judged that voice data is not received, ajudgment is made as to whether encoded data is received from the seconddevice 150E (step S1766). If it is judged that the encoded data isreceived, the encoded data is decoded (step S1767) and transmitted tothe first portable terminal 110 as voice data (step S1768), while theprocess advances to the step S1771.

In addition, the steps S1767 and S1768 are skipped if it is judged thatthe encoded data is not received.

At the step S1771, a judgment is made as to whether the voicecommunication is completed. If it is judged that the voice communicationis not completed, the process returns to the step S1765. On the otherhand, if it is judged that the voice communication is completed, theprocess is terminated (S1772).

Thus, the data volume of the device information is small compared to thetransmitted data, i.e., the encoded voice data, and it causes littleburden on the portable terminal for transmission/reception of the deviceinformation in Embodiment V-1. Furthermore, the transmission/receptionof the encoded voice data can be executed without being restricted bythe function of the portable terminal, as it is executed via thecomputer network 190.

It is obvious that this invention is not limited to the particularembodiments shown and described above but may be variously changed andmodified without departing from the technical concept of this invention.

For example, although a constitution using a wireless type interface asa local interface was described in the above, it is also possible toapply a wired communication type interface such as the one using cablesin Embodiment I-1.

Furthermore, although a constitution was described in the above wherethe device information stored in the printer 20 is deleted when theportable terminal 40 leaves the range communicable with the printer 20,it is also possible to adopt a constitution of deleting the deviceinformation after printing the desired image data on paper in EmbodimentI-1, similar to Embodiment I-2.

Moreover, although it was described in the above that the image datatransmitted via the network 30 is to be stored in the storage unit ofthe scanner, which functions as data storage device as well, inEmbodiment I-1 and Embodiment I-2, the invention is not limited by sucha constitution.

It is also possible to have a constitution where a reading device thatobtains image data by reading the document image and a data storagedevice that stores image data are provided separately. For example, thereading device can be a scanner without a storage unit such as a harddisk, and the data storage device is, for example, a file server.

The scanner, as a reading device, can include a local interface or amemory card slot. In this case, while storing the image data obtained byreading into the file server, the scanner can output the deviceinformation of the file server to the portable terminal or the memorycard.

Although a scanner was exemplified as the data storage device and aprinter as the printing device in the above descriptions of EmbodimentI-1 and Embodiment I-2, the invention is not limited to suchconstitutions.

It is also possible to use, for example, a multifunction digital copyingmachine, which is sometimes called MFP (multifunction peripheral), afacsimile, a personal computer, a workstation, etc., as the data storagedevice. A digital copying machine, a facsimile, etc., can be used as theprinting device.

The invention can be applied to a printing system in which the imagedata is transmitted from a computer via the network to a printer to beprinted on paper.

Although a constitution was described in the above descriptions forEmbodiment I-1 and Embodiment I-2, where a connection is established viaa network by transmitting the device information of a scanner having afunction as the data storage device to a printer via a portable terminalor a portable storage medium, it is also possible to establish aconnection by transmitting the printer's device information to a scanneror a computer via a portable terminal, etc.

Moreover, although a printing system was described in the above forEmbodiment I-1 and Embodiment I-2, where the image data is transmittedfrom the data storage device via a network to the printing device, theinvention is not limited to such a printing system.

The invention can be applied to a network device connecting system forrealizing the establishment of connection between two devices toexchange data between two devices constituted to be able to communicatevia a network.

Therefore, if the connection information such as IP addresses are notknown between two network devices, the invention makes it possible toestablish the connection between the network devices by means of aportable terminal or a portable storage medium in which the deviceinformation is stored.

This makes it possible also to exchange various signals such as data orinstructions in either direction between one network device located nearthe user and the other network device far from the user.

In the abovementioned network device connecting system, arbitrarydevices such as scanners, digital copying machines, facsimiles,computers, workstations, printers, etc., can be combined, regardless onthe transmission side or on the reception side, as the devices connectedvia the network.

Furthermore, connecting devices such as modems, terminal adapters,bridges, and routers, can be included as the network device.

The data to be transmitted over the network is not limited to image databut rather includes arbitrary data such as document data, voice data,and software. For example, it can be applied to a case where devicedrivers such as a printer driver are to be installed on a computer,which is away from a device such as a printer, via a network.

The printing system, various control or arithmetic process units in thenetwork device connecting systems, the printing methods, and networkdevice connecting system according to Embodiment I-1 and Embodiment I-2are applicable to dedicated hardware circuits, or computers where theprograms are installed.

The program that is to be installed in a computer can be provided by acomputer readable storage medium, for example, flexible disk, CD-ROM,etc. In this case, the program stored on the computer readable storagemedium is normally transferred to hard disks to be stored. The programcan be provided as an application software separately or can be providedas installed on a computer in advance.

Embodiment II-3 through Embodiment II-7 can be applied in variouscombinations. It is also possible to apply Embodiment II-10 orEmbodiment II-11 to Embodiment IV-2 in order to make the destinationdevice manually selectable at a data transmission device or at aportable terminal.

1. A data transmission device to be used in a system including said datatransmission device and a data receiving device which are connected to adata network, and at least one portable terminal, said data transmissiondevice comprising: a first transmission unit for transmitting to saidportable terminal without recourse to said data network a signal forobtaining device information from said data receiving device, the datareceiving device information containing connection information forestablishing a connection between said data transmission device and saiddata receiving device; a receiving unit for receiving the data receivingdevice information from said portable terminal without recourse to saiddata network; and a second transmission unit for transmitting to saiddata receiving device a signal for starting communication based on thedevice information using said data network, wherein said datatransmission device is a physical device.
 2. A data transmission deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein the second transmission unit transmitsdata to said data receiving device via said data network afterestablishing a connection with said data receiving device.
 3. A datatransmission device as claimed in claim 1, in which said firsttransmission unit and said receiving unit transmit and receive data withsaid portable terminal via a mobile telecommunication network.
 4. A datatransmission device as claimed in claim 1, in which said connectioninformation contains an identification code for identifying said datareceiving device on said data network.
 5. A data transmission device asclaimed in claim 4, in which said identification code is an IP address.6. A data transmission device to be used in a system including said datatransmission device and a data receiving device which are connected to adata network, and at least one portable terminal, said data transmissiondevice comprising: a processor; a first transmission unit fortransmitting to said portable terminal without recourse to said datanetwork a signal for obtaining device information from said datareceiving device, the data receiving device information containingconnection information for establishing a connection between said datatransmission device and said data receiving device; a receiving unit forreceiving the data receiving device information from said portableterminal without recourse to said data network; and a secondtransmission unit for transmitting to said data receiving device asignal for starting communication based on the device information usingsaid data network.
 7. A data transmission device as claimed in claim 6,wherein the second transmission unit transmits data to said datareceiving device via said data network after establishing a connectionwith said data receiving device.
 8. A data transmission device asclaimed in claim 6, in which said first transmission unit and saidreceiving unit transmit and receive data with said portable terminal viaa mobile telecommunication network.
 9. A data transmission device asclaimed in claim 6, in which said connection information contains anidentification code for identifying said data receiving device on saiddata network.
 10. A data transmission device as claimed in claim 9, inwhich said identification code is an IP address.